Digital Commons Network^™

The Effect Of Integrated Weed Management Strategies On Weed Populations And Biomass, Pasture Productivity, Economic Returns, And Forage Quality With And Without Grazing, Joshua Allen Tolson

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Field studies examined the strategies of mowing, herbicide, fertility, and all combinations on tall ironweed populations, weed biomass, pasture yield, grazing, economics, and forage quality at three Kentucky locations. Mowing was performed in July 2008 and 2009, herbicide applied in August 2008, and fertilizer applied in September 2008 and 2009 at all locations. Weed populations were measured in 2008, 2009, and 2010, and forage and weed biomass collected in May or June of 2009 and 2010. Herbicide treatments reduced weed biomass at all locations, and reduced tall ironweed stems by 64% or greater in 2009 at all locations. Weed biomass …

Enantioselective Demethylation: The Key To The Nornicotine Enantiomeric Composition In Tobacco Leaf, Bin Cai

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Nicotine and nornicotine are the two main alkaloids that accumulate in Nicotiana tabacum L. (tobacco), and nornicotine is the N-demethylation metabolite of nicotine. Nicotine is synthesized in the root, and probably primarily in the root tip. Both nicotine and nornicotine exist as two isomers that differ from each other by the orientation of H atom at the C-2' position on the pyrrolidine ring. (S)-nicotine is the dominant form in tobacco leaf and the enantiomer fraction of nicotine (EF_nic), the fraction of (R)-enantiomer over the total nicotine, is approximately 0.002. Despite considerable efforts to elucidate nicotine and nornicotine …

Evaluation Of Vascular Changes In Cattle Relative To Time-Off Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue, Jessica R. Bussard

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Twenty-four steers were grazed on endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum)-infected [[Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh]; E+] tall fescue (TF) and exposed to ergot alkaloids for an 106-d grazing period. Cattle were removed from pasture, placed in dry lots, and fed a non-toxic diet to evaluate changes in vascular contraction relative to time-off E+ TF pasture. Lateral saphenous veins (SV) were biopsied from steers at 0-, 21-, 42-, and 63-d off TF pasture and from 6 control steers at 0- and 63-d off bermudagrass (BG) pasture. To evaluate contractile response, biopsied SV were exposed to increasing concentrations of ergotamine in a multimyograph. Cross-sectional scans …

Steer And Tall Fescue Pasture Responses To Grazing Intensity And Chemical Seedhead Suppression, Ben M. Goff

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) is the principal cool-season species within pastures of the southeastern USA and is known to have a mutualistic relationship with a fungal endophyte (Neotyphodium coenophialum) that produces the ergot alkaloids responsible for tall fescue toxicosis. Management of the reproductive growth of tall fescue is necessary, as the seedheads contain the highest concentrations of ergot alkaloids, and livestock have been documented to selectively graze these tissues. Recently, the herbicide Chaparral^™ has been shown to be an effective method to prevent seedhead production in tall fescue pastures while also increasing steer gains at …

Hello, I Love You, Won’T You Tell Me Your Name?: An Anthropological Investigation Of Naming, Haley Lisa Close

Senior Independent Study Theses

This study investigates how parents select the names of their children. Anthropological research on naming is very sparse, despite the immense power of names to reflect cultural variables, such as: kinship, gender relations, socioeconomic class relations, and differences in taste and personal preference. I surveyed a sample of parents at three daycare facilities in a small town in the Midwest about their children’s names and how they chose those names. My findings indicate that kin naming plays a significant role, but many parents find a balance between choosing a name with “meaning” and choosing a name based on their personal …

Valuing Art In An Estate: New Concerns, Anne-Marie Rhodes

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Expediting Green Patents: The Expedited Examination Programs' Contribution To Diminished Patent Quality, Ashleigh Hebert

Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Susceptibility Of Stored-Product Psocids To Aerosol Insecticides, George P. Opit, Frank H. Arthur, James E. Throne, Mark E. Payton

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The efficacies of commercial methoprene and esfenvalerate aerosols for control of stored-product psocid pests were evaluated in simulated field studies. The efficacies of methoprene, esfenvalerate EC, the carrier Isopar-M™, and a combination of methoprene and esfenvalerate aerosols for control of Liposcelis decolor (Pearman) (Psocoptera: Liposcelididae) and Liposcelis entomophila (Enderlein) nymphs were assessed, and the effects of direct and indirect exposure of Liposcelis bostrychophila Badonnel, L. decolor, and Liposcelis paeta Pearman adults to esfenvalerate EC aerosol were evaluated. The greatest nymphal mortality attained was 76%, indicating that the four aerosols tested were ineffective against L. decolor and L. entomophila nymphs. …

Switchgrass, Michael D. Casler, Robert B. Mitchell, Kenneth P. Vogel

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is a tall, erect, warm-season perennial native to the tall grass prairie, oak savanna, and associated ecosystems of North America. It can be found in prairies, open woodlands, and brackish marshes east of the Rocky Mountains and generally south of 55° north latitude (Hitchcock 1951; Stubbendieck et al. 1991). Less than 1% of these ecosystems exist today, but these prairie and savanna remnants have served as in situ gene banks, preserving a vast amount of genetic diversity within switchgrass and many other plant species. Switchgrass has a diversity of uses as well, including pasture, hay …

Immunogenicity And Protective Efficacy Of The Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis Attenuated Mutants Against Challenge In A Mouse Model, Jenn-Wei Chen, Syed M. Faisal, Subhash Chandra, Sean P. Mcdonough, Maria A.S. Moreira, Joy Scaria, Chao-Fu Chang, J. P. Bannantine, Bruce Akey, Yung-Fu Chang

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Johne’s disease (JD), caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), results in serious economic losses worldwide especially in cattle, sheep and goats. To control the impact of JD on the animal industry, an effective vaccine with minimal adverse effects is urgently required. In order to develop an effective vaccine, we used allelic exchange to construct three mutant MAP strains, leuD, mpt64 and secA2. The mutants were attenuated in a murine model and induced cytokine responses in J774A.1 cell. The leuD mutant was the most obviously attenuated of the three constructed mutant strains. Our preliminary vaccine trial in mice demonstrated different …

Alkaline Extraction Of Phenolic Compounds From Intact Sorghum Kernels, Deidre L. Blackwell, Thomas Herald, Scott R. Bean, Prini Gadgil

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is a major drought-resistant food crop in Africa and Asia. In Western countries, sorghum is utilized as animal feed but is a viable ingredient alternative in gluten-free foods and biofuels (O’Kennedy et al., 2006). The high level of phytochemicals in sorghum kernels is found in the bran and germ (Dykes & Rooney, 2006). A range of phenolic compounds in sorghum offering antioxidant capacity (AOC) includes phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins and tannins (Awika & Rooney, 2004). Phenolic compounds have been extracted from cereal grains using various techniques such as aqueous alcohol (Medina, 2011; Cuevas Montilla …

Modelling Female Mating Success During Mass Trapping And Natural Competitive Attraction Of Searching Males Or Females, John A. Byers

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Simulation models of insects encountering sex pheromone with or without mass trapping in which the searching sex is either male (moths and many insect species) or female (some true bugs, beetles, and flies) were developed. The searching sex moved as a correlated random walk, while the opposite sex remained stationary (calling) and released an attractive sex pheromone. The searching sex was caught when encountering a pheromone-baited trap, and females mated when encountering a male. An encounter with pheromone was defined by the searcher’s interception of a circle termed the effective attraction radius (EAR_c). Parameters of movement (speed and …

Attenuation Of A Virulent Aeromonas Hydrophila With Novobiocin And Pathogenic Characterization Of The Novobiocin-Resistant Strain, Julia Pridgeon, M. Yildirim-Aksoy, P.H. Klesius, K.K. Srivastava, P.G. Reddy

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Aim: To determine whether novobiocin resistance strategy could be used to attenuate a virulent Aeromonas hydrophila AH11P strain and to characterize the growth and pathogenic differences between the novobiocin-resistant strain and its virulent parent strain AH11P.

Methods and Results: A novobiocin-resistant strain AH11NOVO was obtained from a virulent Aer. hydrophila strain AH11P through selection of resistance to novobiocin. AH11NOVO was found to be avirulent to channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), whereas AH11P was virulent. When AH11NOVO vaccinated channel catfish were challenged with AH11P at 14 days postvaccination, relative per cent of survival of vaccinated fish was 100%. …

Responses To Varroa Destructor And Nosema Ceranae By Several Commercial Strains Of Australian And North American Honeybees (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Thomas E. Rinderer, Benjamin P. Oldroyd, Amanda M. Frake, Lilia I. De Guzman, Lelania Bourgeois

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The potential impact of varroa (Varroa destructor, Anderson & Trueman) on Australian beekeeping and agriculture depends in part on the levels of resistance to this parasite expressed by Australian commercial honeybees (Apis mellifera). The responses of seven lines of Australian honeybees to V. destructor were compared with the responses of a stock of Italian honeybees from the United States known for its susceptibility to V. destructor and two stocks known for their resistance to V. destructor, Russian honeybees (RHB) and a stock expressing the varroa sensitive hygiene trait (VSH). The experiment began in May with …

A Deleterious Effect Associated With Unh159 Is Attenuated In Twin Embryos Of An Inbred Line Of Blue Tilapia Oreochromis Aureus, A. Shirak, Yniv Palti, O. Bern, Thomas D. Kocher, Elisha Gootwine, Eyal Seroussi, Gideon Hulata, Micha Ron, Ramy R. Avtalion

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Offspring of a highly inbred gynogenetic line of Oreochromis aureus displayed 12-fold increase in twinning rate compared to the outbred population. Asymmetric conjoined twins, which consist of a normal embryo attached to a malformed-atrophic twin, were frequently encountered in both gynogenetic (90·7%) and outbred (38·2%) embryos. The monozygotic origin of these twins was determined using five microsatellite markers. Progeny of heterozygous parents for the microsatellite UNH159 were separated into sub-sets of twins and normal full-sibs. Consistent with previous reports, the normal embryo sub-set exhibited elimination of both types of homozygotes for the UNH159 genetic marker at 2–8 days after fertilization. …

Aerosol Delivery Of Trail Pheromone Disrupts The Foraging Of The Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis Invicta, David Maxwell Suckling, Lloyd D. Stringer, Joshua E. Corn, Barry Bunn, Ashraf M. El-Sayed, Robert K. Vander Meer

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is one of the most aggressive and invasive species in the world. The trail pheromone Z,E-α-farnesene (91% purity)was prepared, and disruption of worker trail orientation was tested using an ethanol based aerosol formulation presenting a single puff of this compound by airbrush and compressed air. Trail-following behavior was recorded by overhead webcam and ants digitized before and after presentation of the aerosol treatment at four rates (1.6, 16, 160 and 1600 ng cm⁻²).

RESULTS: Ants preferred 110 ng cm⁻¹ over 11, 1.1 and 0.11 ng cm^{−1 …}

Storage Characteristics, Nutritive Value, Energy Content, And In Vivo Digestibility Of Moist, Large Rectangular Bales Of Alfalfa-Orchardgrass Hay Treated With A Propionic Acid-Based Preservative, W. K. Coblentz, K. P. Coffey, A. N. Young, M. G. Bertram

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Unstable weather, poor drying conditions, and unpredictable rainfall events often place valuable hay crops at risk. Recent research with large round bales composed of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata L.) has shown that these large-bale packages are particularly sensitive to spontaneous heating and dry matter (DM) losses, as well as other undesirable changes with respect to forage fiber, protein, and energy density. Various formulations of organic acids have been marketed as preservatives, normally for use on hays that are not desiccated adequately in the field to facilitate safe bale storage. Our objectives for this …

Temporal Flux And Spatial Dynamics Of Nutrients, Fecal Indicators, And Zoonotic Pathogens In Anaerobic Swine Manure Lagoon Water, Michael R. Mclaughlin, John P. Brooks, Ardeshir Adeli

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) often use anaerobic lagoons for manure treatment. In the USA, swine CAFO lagoon water is used for crop irrigation that is regulated by farm-specific nutrient management plans (NMPs). Implementation of stricter US environmental regulations in 2013 will set soil P limits; impacting land applications of manure and requiring revision of NMPs. Precise knowledge of lagoon water quality is needed for formulating NMPs, for understanding losses of N and C in ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions, and for understanding risks of environmental contamination by fecal bacteria, including zoonotic pathogens. In this study we determined year-round levels …

Factors Associated With Frequency Of Abortions Recorded Through Dairy Herd Improvement Test Plans, H. D. Norman, R. H. Miller, J. R. Wright, J. L. Hutchison, K. M. Olson

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Frequency of abortions recorded through Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) testing was summarized for cows with lactations completed from 2001 through 2009. For 8.5 million DHI lactations of cows that had recorded breeding dates and were >151 d pregnant at lactation termination, the frequency of recorded abortions was 1.31%. Effects of year, herd-year, month, and pregnancy stage at lactation termination; parity; breed; milk yield; herd size; geographic region; and state within region associated with DHI-recorded abortion were examined. Abortions recorded through DHI (minimum gestation of 152 d required) were more frequent during early gestation; least squares means (LSM) were 4.38, 3.27, …

Early Weaning In Northern Great Plains Beef Cattle Production Systems: Ii. Development Of Replacement Heifers Weaned At 80 Or 215 D Of Age, R.C. Waterman, T.W. Geary, J.A. Paterson, R.J. Lipsey

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Studies were conducted to evaluate effects of weaning and subsequent heifer development treatments within two herds located in the Northern Great Plains, USA. Heifer calves from predominantly Angus x Hereford dams were stratified within damage and calving date (Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory (LARRL), Miles City, MT, USA; n=328) and randomly assigned within study and strata to one of three weaning treatments. Heifer calves from Angus and Angus x Simmental dams (n=167; Judith Gap (JG),MT,USA) were stratified within breed group by age, calving date, and AI sire. Heifer calves either remained with their dams until …

Mixed-Grass Prairie Canopy Structure And Spectral Reflectance Vary With Topographic Position, Rebecca L. Phillips, Moffatt K. Ngugi, John Hendrickson, Aaron Smith, Mark West

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Managers of the nearly 0.5 million ha of public lands in North and South Dakota, USA rely heavily on manual measurements of canopy height in autumn to ensure conservation of grassland structure for wildlife and forage for livestock. However, more comprehensive assessment of vegetation structure could be achieved for mixed-grass prairie by integrating field survey, topographic position (summit, mid and toeslope) and spectral reflectance data. Thus, we examined the variation of mixed-grass prairie structural attributes (canopy leaf area, standing crop mass, canopy height, nitrogen, and water content) and spectral vegetation indices (VIs) with variation in topographic position at the Grand …

Chapter 1: The Evolution Of Switchgrass As An Energy Crop, David J. Parrish, Michael D. Casler, Andrea Monti

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

This chapter discusses the prehistoric origins of switchgrass, its mid-twentieth century adoption as a crop, and late-twentieth century efforts to develop it into an energy crop. The species probably first appeared about 2 million years ago (MYA) and has continued to evolve since, producing two distinct ecotypes and widely varying ploidy levels. We build the case that all existing switchgrass lineages must be descended from plants that survived the most recent glaciation of North America and then, in just 11,000 years, re-colonized the eastern two-thirds of the continent. Moving to historic times, we discuss how switchgrass was first considered as …

Magic From Human Regenerative Technologies -- Stem Cells, John M. Ritz

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The article discusses the developments in stem cell research and development. It mentions that through tissue engineering or regenerative medicine, many diseases are finding techniques for improvement and cure. It discusses the role of stem cells in mending the human body and the ethics associated with this technology . It is mentioned that stem cells are divided in 2 types: embryonic stem cells and adult stem cells. It includes the process of cell differentiation which determines the properties and characteristics of cells. It mentions several diseases related to sports injury, spinal cord injuries, blood and heart disorders to be to …

Soil Quality Improvement Under An Ecologically Based Farming System In Northwest Missouri, Robert J. Kremer, Linda F. Hezel

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Ecologically based farming conserves and improves the soil resource and protects environmental quality by using organic or natural resources without the application of synthetic chemicals. Soil quality assessment indicates the ability of management systems to optimize soil productivity and to maintain its structural and biological integrity. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of ecologically based management on biochemical characteristics of soil [soil quality indicators (SQI)] as an assessment of soil quality. The study was conducted on an ecologically based farming enterprise established on gently sloping soils of Sharpsburg silt loam (fine montmorillonitic, mesic Typic Argiudolls) in Clay County, Missouri, …

Stocker Performance And Production In Mixed Tall Fescue–Bermudagrass Pastures Of The Southern Piedmont Usa, Alan J. Franzluebbers, John A. Stuedemann, Dwight H. Seman

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Stocker performance and production from mixed cool- and warm-season perennial pastures are important determinants of agricultural sustainability that can be influenced by management. We evaluated the factorial combination of three sources of nutrient application (inorganic only, organic+inorganic combination, and organic only) and two forage utilization regimes [low grazing pressure (LGP) and high grazing pressure (HGP)] on steer stocking density and rate, performance and production during 7 years of pasture management {tall fescue [Lolium arundinaceum (Schreb.) Darbysh.] overseeded into existing Coastal bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] sod} on a Typic Kanhapludult in Georgia, USA. Nutrient source had few major …

Tree Size But Not Forest Basal Area Influences Ant Colony Response To Disturbance In A Neotropical Ant–Plant Association, Thomas S. Davis, Nathaniel E. Foote, Kevin C. Grady

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Ant–acacia mutualisms are conspicuous biotic associations in Savannah and neotropical ecosystems; however, the effects of tree size and forest structure on ant behaviour and tree traits are rarely examined. We tested two hypotheses related to these effects: (1) ant responses to disturbance are influenced by tree size and forest basal area; and (2) tree traits important to ants are predictable by tree size and forest basal area. We investigated these hypotheses in a dry tropical forest (Ometepe Island, Nicaragua) with the myrmecophytic Collins acacia (Vachellia collinsii Saff.) and the ant Pseudomyrmex spinicola (Emery 1890). We measured trees from three …

Evaluation Of A Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay For Pseudorabies Virus Surveillance Purposes, Eraldo L. Zanella, Laura C. Miller, Kelly M. Lager, Troy T. Bigelow

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is the cause of Aujeszky’s disease, a disease that is significant economically for the swine industry worldwide. A real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay based on the gB and gE genes was used to identify PRV nucleic acid in diagnostic samples. Using virus isolation (VI) as the gold standard, the PCR assay performed well in a variety of diagnostic matrices. Testing was conducted on 1,027 nasal swabs with the following findings: gB sensitivity: 94.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 92.3–96.4%), specificity: 71.0% (95% CI: 64.0–77.3%); gE sensitivity: 94.6% (95% CI: 92.3–96.4%), specificity: 79.3% (95% CI: 72.9–84.7%). Diagnostic performance …

Fum And Bik Gene Expression Contribute To Describe Fumonisin And Bikaverin Synthesis In Fusarium Verticillioides, I. Lazzaro, M. Busman, P. Battilani, R. A. E. Butchko

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Fusarium verticillioides is a maize pathogen that produces toxic secondary metabolites, including fumonisins and bikaverin. The regulation of biosynthetic gene expression and the production of these metabolites are not fully understood and in this study we investigated the influence of water activity (0.955 and 0.990) on the expression of 5 genes (FUM3–FUM8–FUM13–FUM14 and BIK1) in F. verticillioides strains after 14 and 21 days incubation. Fumonisin production and biosynthetic gene expression were greatest at a_w=0.990, and the same trend was observed for bikaverin production, and BIK1 expression. FUM3 and FUM14 were the most highly expressed genes and …

Identification Of Gene Clusters Associated With Fusaric Acid, Fusarin, And Perithecial Pigment Production In Fusarium Verticillioides, Daren W. Brown, Robert A. E. Butchko, Mark Busman, Robert H. Proctor

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The genus Fusarium is of concern to agricultural production and food/feed safety because of its ability to cause crop disease and to produce mycotoxins. Understanding the genetic basis for production of mycotoxins and other secondary metabolites (SMs) has the potential to limit crop disease and mycotoxin contamination. In fungi, SM biosynthetic genes are typically located adjacent to one another in clusters of coexpressed genes. Such clusters typically include a core gene, responsible for synthesis of an initial chemical, and several genes responsible for chemical modifications, transport, and/or regulation. Fusarium verticillioides is one of the most common pathogens of maize and …

Trends In U.S. Farmland Values And Ownership, Cynthia Nickerson, Mitchell Morehart, Todd Kuethe, Jayson Beckman, Jennifer Ifft, Ryan Williams

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Because farm real estate represents much of the value of U.S. farm sector assets, large swings in farmland values can affect the fi nancial well-being of agricultural producers. This report examines both macroeconomic (interest rates, prices of alternative investments) and parcel-specifi c (soil quality, government payments, proximity to urban areas) factors that affect farmland values. In the last few years, U.S. farmland values have been supported by strong farm earnings, which have helped the farm sector in many regions to withstand the residential housing downturn. Historically low interest rates are likely a signifi cant contributor to farming’s current ability to …